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An Egyptian-brokered six-month truce between the Israelis and the Palestinians ends on Friday, but it's one that has often been ignored. Almost daily, rockets and mortars fly out of Gaza into Israel, and, in return, the Israeli military strikes back.

What the end of the cease-fire will bring is uncertain.

Hamas, the ruling Palestinian political faction in Gaza, is sending mixed signals. Khalid Meshaal, the exiled leader of the group, said from Syria that Hamas won't renew, while the Hamas prime minister in Gaza, Ismail Haniya, hasn't ruled out extending the truce.

The Israeli army, meanwhile, has drawn up detailed plans and trained for a large-scale operation in the territory. Israel's last major incursion into Gaza came in 2006, when Hamas militants kidnapped an Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, and killed two others. Shalit remains a captive.

Israeli troops launched several smaller raids into the territory before the truce began.